Fifty First Dates meets Groundhog Day Again and Again and. .
“Every morning we have to remind it, it’s a tree.”
Henry

Well, there I was in complete ignorance, working out that at 100 minutes running time, that would be two minutes per date. The curtain going up confirmed photographs of a large number of couples and venues all around the world. But sadly that was not to be. Despite the maps shown behind, the closest we got to anyhere else other than a café in Key Largo, Florida was a muddled Venetian backdrop.
By the completely standing, apart from me, ovation at the end of the show I have to conclude that either the audience were expressing thanks for their free ticket or there are many followers for the original movie who longed to see their favourite movie go musically from screen to stage. It is interesting though that it is in London, and not Broadway or off Broadway, that sees the World Premiere of 50 First Dates.

My worst fears were realised when Josh St Clair’s voice failed to hit some of the notes in his first song but thankfully his voice got a lot stronger in the later numbers. The story is a love story about a man (St Clair) who seems to be paid to arrange a single perfect date with a multitude of women for some kind of film or television programme. He is called the Perfect Date Guy. He has an assertive agent Delilah (Natasha O’Brien) who power dressed in black and silver jewellery phones him continuously to check on his movements which are meant to be in the direction of Europe.
This musical is excessively loud, full of energy and over the top vibrancy and I note that Casey Nicholaw who was originally listed as director and choreographer is now, direction and musical staging. This to me, speaks volumes about the man who gave us the brilliant and hysterically funny dance in “Turn It Off” in The Book of Mormon.

The heroine of the musical is Lucy (Georgina Castle fresh from the lead in Mean Girls) whom Henry meets in Ukelele Sue (Aisha Naomi Pease)’s café in Key Largo where Lucy is rearranging her pile of waffles in the shape of a house. It emerges that Lucy has had a car accident where she has lost her memory of everything that has happened since the car crash into a tree. The condition she has is anterograde amnesia and she has no memory of each day that passes.
Lucy has however remembered how to sing beautifully and has great duets with Henry.

So now the meaning of Fifty First Dates sinks in although Henry is considerably slower than we are to realise it. Imagine being able to relive every day that first stomach flutter of new love when you meet someone you are really attracted to, as if it is for the first time. Henry meets Lucy’s protective family, her father Martin Whitmore (John Marquez) and her burly brother Doug (Charlie Toland) who are very suspicious of Henry.
You can be assured that this musical will find a happy ending and I expect that Korea, having loved the film will happily anticipate its arrival. Not one for me I’m afraid, but to the rest of you, ENJOY!

Musical Numbers
Prologue
Everything
Coffee, Friends and Happy Endings
Key Largo
They’re Not you
I’ll Be Back tomorrow
Happy Sunday
Stay Away
Good Morning Lucy
First Kiss
Perfect Day
Paint What You Feel
Finale
Production Notes
50 First Dates
Book, Music and Lyrics by Steve Rosen and David Rossmer
Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw
Cast
Starring:
Josh St Clair
Georgina Castle
Georgia Arron
Aizaac Aruna
Zoë Ann Bown
Emily Olive Boyd
Greg Stylianou Burns
Cole Dunn
Samuelle Durojaiye
Paul Kemble
John Marquez
Natasha O’Brien
Aiesha Naomi Pease
David Pendlebury
Martha Pothen
Ricky Rojas
Chad Saint Loui
Samantha Thomas,
Charlie Toland
Creatives
Director and Choreographer: Casey Nicholas
Designer: Fly Davis
Musical Director: George Carter
Lighting Designer: Aideen Malone
Sound Designer: Adam Fisher
Orchestration and Arrangements: Matthew Jackson
Musical Supervisor: Richard Beadle
Projection Design: George Reeve
Information
Running Time: One hour 40 minutes without an interval
Booking until 16th November 2025
Address:
The Other Palace
Palace Street
Victoria
London SW1E 5JA
Rail/Tube: Victoria
Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge
at the Other Palace on
25th September 2025